WACO, Texas (March 12, 2013) - The American College of Healthcare Executives has named Hilary E. Griffin, a Baylor graduate student, as the second place winner in its annual Richard J. Stull Student Essay Competition in Healthcare Management. Griffin will receive an award and recognition for her essay at the Congress on Healthcare Leadership held March 13 in Chicago, Ill.

In her essay, "Ready....Set...Transition: A Case for Accountable Care," Griffin discusses hindrances that face the more than 11 million children who have been diagnosed with chronic conditions as they transition from pediatric care to an adult medical environment. The process is complicated and difficult to ensure optimal care of patients, but Griffin's essay outlines a possible solution in the establishment of special needs transitional medical homes that would standardize and improve the quality of care to patients in this timespan.

Griffin became interested in this topic through her studies in the Robbins M.B.A. Healthcare Program at Baylor's Hankamer School of Business. As part of this program, master's candidates are required to complete a seven-month administrative residency in a hospital during their second year of studies. Griffin completed her residency at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, where she became knowledgeable about the challenges of transition medicine.

The daughter of a church pastor in Sealy, Texas, Griffin received her B.B.A. in Business Honors and Finance from Texas A&M University in 2011. "The M.B.A. Healthcare Program is what drew me to Baylor," said Griffin, knowing that the program would move her toward a career in public service, a goal that she established as an undergraduate.

As part of her undergraduate program, Griffin interned at Angola Prison, a maximum security prison in Louisiana where her father had done ministry. It was here that she decided to pursue a career in public service.

"While completing my internship at Angola, I realized that my life was made to serve others, and I never wanted to work for a company that just made products for consumption. God made me to make an impact and bring hope to those who are living in 'hopeless' situations. This realization was the first driver that brought me into the Baylor M.B.A. Healthcare Program," she said.

During her junior year at college, Griffin saw a need for hope in a new setting when her friend was diagnosed with cancer. "After his diagnosis, I spent the next nine months watching him make an everlasting impact on those around him. It was his friendship and cancer journey that opened my eyes to specifically serving in the healthcare industry," Griffin said. "Throughout many visits to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, I began to see the place for business in healthcare, and something ignited inside of me.

"While only in my life for a short period, he helped me realize that it's not the duration of a life that matters, but the donation of it."

Griffin plans to enter the healthcare industry upon her graduation in May 2013.

For further information about the Hankamer School of Business and its MBA program, click here.

Baylor University is a private Christian university and a nationally ranked research institution, characterized as having "high research activity" by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The university provides a vibrant campus community for approximately 15,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating university in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 11 nationally recognized academic divisions. Baylor sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and is a founding member of the Big 12 Conference.

ABOUT HANKAMER SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

Baylor University's Hankamer School of Business provides a rigorous academic experience, consisting of classroom and hands-on learning, guided by Christian commitment and a global perspective. Recognized nationally for several programs, including Entrepreneurship and Accounting, the school offers 24 undergraduate and 13 graduate areas of study. Visit www.baylor.edu/business and follow on Twitter at twitter.com/Baylor_Business.